Bunaken · Indonesia · Wall · Drift · Reef
Tanjung Kopi
Hundreds of batfish and jacks holding in the current
Area photo: Bernard DUPONT · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tanjung Kopi, or Coffee Point, lies on the east coast foothills of Manado Tua, the volcanic island west of Bunaken. A sloping plateau descends from 5 to 30 metres and is fringed by a vertical wall that drops off to over 80 metres. Currents can be very strong, and they are what the site runs on: hundreds of batfish, jacks and bigeye trevallies school here.
Where it is and how deep
1.6328° N, 124.7150° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Currents here can be very strong, so the dive is set up by dropping in upstream and drifting over to the plateau; an experienced guide is essential, as entry at the correct point is critical. Once you are on it, blacktail barracuda hang around at 7 metres deep, feeding in the current, which gives the shallow part of the dive something to watch while you hold position.
This is the place in Bunaken to see the bigger species, and the way to do it is to use a reef hook or find a suitable rock to hold onto, then hang there and watch the action in the deeper water off the wall. Reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, napoleon fish, giant trevally, eagle rays and the occasional hammerhead shark all glide through the currents, seemingly without effort.
The site is famous for its schooling fish, with hundreds of batfish, jacks and bigeye trevallies imitating each other in a single group along the edge where the plateau gives way to the drop-off. The wall below that edge falls away past 80 metres, so the profile is set by where on the plateau you settle rather than by the wall itself.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
- Napoleon wrasse
- Eagle rays
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Bunaken: May–October dry season gives the clearest water; some rain and runoff November–April.
Know before you go
- Currents can be very strong, so drop in upstream and drift over to the plateau rather than trying to swim onto it against the flow.
- Entry at the correct point is critical, which is why an experienced guide is essential here rather than optional.
- The wall below the plateau drops off to over 80 metres, far past recreational limits, so set a hard maximum depth before you go in.
Dive videos
Diving Tanjung Kopi and Mandolin · Ana Fonseca on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Tanjung Kopi?+
The plateau slopes from 5 to 30 metres and most of the dive is spent on it. The wall on its outer edge drops off to over 80 metres, far beyond recreational limits, so a maximum depth is set before the dive.
Can you see hammerheads at Tanjung Kopi?+
Occasionally. The occasional hammerhead is listed among the animals that glide through the currents here, alongside reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, napoleon fish, giant trevally and eagle rays. The schooling batfish, jacks and bigeye trevallies are the reliable draw.
Sources
- Diving sites Indonesia: Manado, Bunaken — Dive The World
- Pulau Manado Tua — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Bunaken
A reef so long one dive doesn't cover it
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Five hefty giant clams lying in a row on the sand
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The sheltered Lekuan site, and Bunaken's night dive
Perhaps ten green turtles live on this wall alone
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Whip corals along a drifted wall, with bumpheads passing
An amphitheatre-shaped wall worked by reef sharks
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Turtle city: greens and hawksbills on the wall off the village
Similar dives elsewhere
The corner where Cabilao's sharks are seen, wall to plateau to wall
Hook into the plateau lip and let the sharks stack up off the edge
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
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The outcrop on the drop where the jacks and barracuda gather